Montgomery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Montgomery

What does the name Montgomery mean?

The Montgomery family name comes originally from a place name in Normandy, such as Saint Foi de Montgomery. The name made its way to Scotland with the Normans, where it became Mac Gumaraid, in Gaelic.

The name is "of territorial origin from the ancient casde of Sainte Foi de Montgomery in the diocese of Lisieux in Normandy. The name of this castle, enjoys a peculiar privilege above all others in Norman geography. Other spots in Normandy have given their names to Norman houses and these Norman houses have transferred these names to English castles and English towns and villages. But there is only one shire in Great Britain which has had the name of a Norman lordship impressed upon it forever." 1

Early Origins of the Montgomery family

The surname Montgomery was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they were granted lands by Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland.

The manor of Eaglesham became the Clan seat of the family for many centuries. Looking further back, we found Roger de Montgomery (died 1093?), who came from the Castle of Sainte Foi de Montgomery, in Lissieux, Normandy, arrived in England with William the Conqueror. 2

Soon after the Battle of Hastings, Roger was granted lands on the Welsh Border in the County which later took his name, Montgomeryshire. "In reward for his services, he was created Earl of Arundel and Shrewsbury, and received manors in many counties. From him the town and shire of Montgomery, in Wales, derive their name." 3

Roger's grandson, Phillip de Montgomerie went to Scotland with Walter FizAlan, also of the Welsh border country, "settled in Scotland, where he received a grant of the lands of Eaglesham in Renfrewshire and died in 1140, was the ancestor of the Scottish family of Montgomery." 4 Some claim he became high Steward of Scotland and was the progenitor of the great Stewart Clan.

Although Normandy has so far been established as the origin of this family, a family legend related in a poem places their origin earlier, perhaps, even to Roman times: "A noble Roman was the Root, from which Montgomeries came, Who brought his legions from the war, and settled the same. Upon a hill twixt Rome and Spain. Gomericus by name; from which he and his offspring do their sire name still retain." 1

Early History of the Montgomery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Montgomery research. Another 299 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1177, 1449, 1460, 1470, 1507, 1508, 1545, 1556, 1610, 1623, 1642, 1649, 1661, 1663, 1667, 1694, 1700, 1713, 1718, 1722, 1726, 1733, 1761, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Montgomery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montgomery Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Montgomery, Mongomery, Montgomerie, Mungummery and many more.

Early Notables of the Montgomery family

Notable among the family at this time was

Sir James Montgomery, 4th Baronet (died 1694), the tenth laird of Skelmorlie, leader of the Montgomery Plot, a Jacobite scheme to restore King James VII and II to the thrones of Scotland and England

Montgomery World Ranking

In the United States, the name Montgomery is the 211^st most popular surname with an estimated 121,863 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Montgomery is ranked the 542^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,004 people with that name. 6 And in Australia, the name Montgomery is the 505^th popular surname with an estimated 7,498 people with that name. 7 New Zealand ranks Montgomery as 518^th with 1,332 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Montgomery as 582^nd with 11,244 people. 9

Migration of the Montgomery family to Ireland

Some of the Montgomery family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 175 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Montgomery migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Montgomery Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Montgomery, who arrived in Maryland in 1666-1750 10
Adam Montgomery, who arrived in Boston in 1694

Montgomery Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Montgomery, who landed in New Jersey in 1702 10
Ester Montgomery, who settled in Virginia in 1724
Peter Montgomery and his children Francis and John, who settled in Maryland in 1727
Patrick Montgomery, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 10
Eleanor Montgomery, who settled in Annapolis, Maryland in 1756
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomery Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

May Montgomery, aged 41, who arrived in Delaware in 1803 10
Rebecca Montgomery, aged 10, who landed in Delaware in 1803 10
Margaret Montgomery, aged 20, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1805 10
Jane Montgomery, aged 28, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1805 10
Eliza Montgomery, aged 18, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1805 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomery migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Montgomery Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. George Montgomery U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 356 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 11
Mr. John Montgomery U.E. born in New York, USA who settled in Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1784 son of Alex Montgomery 11
Mr. Joseph Montgomery U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was an Auctioneer at Saint John in 1785 11
Mrs. Sarah Montgomery U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
Major. Alexander Montgomery U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomery Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Montgomery, who landed in Canada in 1816
John Montgomery, aged 26, a weaver, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
James Montgomery, aged 24, a weaver, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Trial" in 1833
Miss. Main Montgomery, aged 3 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Pursuit" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 12
Ms. Mary Montgomery, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Odessa" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle on 16th August 1847 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomery migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Montgomery Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Ephraim Montgomery, (John), English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Ephraim Montgomery, English servant who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Miss Mary Anne Montgomery, (b. 1799), aged 30, Irish dairy maid who was convicted in County Down, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Sampson Montgomery, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Henry Porcher" in 1838 16
Robert Montgomery, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Henry Porcher" in 1838 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomery migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Montgomery Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Montgomery a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862
William Montgomery, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1863 17
James Montgomery, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1863
Jane Montgomery, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Siam" in 1865
Hugh Montgomery, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Montgomery migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18

Montgomery Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Edmond Montgomery, aged 26, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 10
Mr. Edmond Montgomery, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 19
Mr. James Montgomery, (b. 1616), aged 19, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 19

Montgomery Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Charles Montgomery, who arrived in Jamaica in 1758

Contemporary Notables of the name Montgomery (post 1700) +

Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE (1847-1942), Canadian novelist from Clifton (New London), Prince Edward Island, best known for her "Anne of Green Gables" novel series
Dabney N. Montgomery (1923-2016), American pilot and bodyguard for Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007
Billy Wayne "Coach" Montgomery (1937-2025), American educator and politician, Louisiana State Representative for District 9 (Bossier Parish) (1988-2008)
John Gallagher Montgomery (1805-1857), American politician and lawyer 20
John Flournoy Montgomery (1878-1954), American politician, U.S. Minister to Hungary, 1933-41 20
John D. Montgomery, American politician, Candidate for justice of Texas State Supreme Court, 1992 20
John D. Montgomery (d. 1985), American politician and board chairman of Montgomery Publications 20
John C. Montgomery (1792-1867), American politician, Postmaster in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1841-44 20
John Michael Montgomery (b. 1965), American country music singer
John Montgomery, American politician and councilor Garland, Texas 20
... (Another 188 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Montgomery family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Clive Alexandra Craig Montgomery (1908-1941), English Lieutenant Commander from Poundsgate, Devon, England, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 21

USS Arizona

Mr. Robert E. Montgomery, American Seaman Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 22

The Montgomery Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Gardez bien
Motto Translation: Look well.

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 47)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HENY PORCHER 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838HenryPorcher.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html